For the first time, humans were exposed to a deadly combination of heat and humidity. Here’s how long they lasted

For the first time, humans were exposed to a deadly combination of heat and humidity. Here’s how long they lasted

Post By World anaotomy, Climate change, climate migration, climate science, Extreme weather, global warming, heat deaths, heat stroke, heatstroke, heatwaves, human experiment, human health, humidity, marathon, physiology, running, survival, temperature, University of Sydney

A world-first study challenges our understanding of how humans cope with extreme heat.

Owen Dillon’s heart is pounding. Sweat is dripping down his neck, and he’s feeling tired and weak.

Inside the climate chamber where he’s sitting, it’s unbearably hot.

It’s been set to 54 degrees Celsius, with 26 per cent humidity — a combination believed to be lethal after six hours.

After just a short period of time, he understands why.

Owen has been put into the climate chamber by Jem Cheng, a research fellow at the Heat and Health Research Centre at the University of Sydney.

It’s part of a world-first study all about finding out at what point heat becomes deadly.

Dr Jem Cheng wants to find our more about how the human body responds when exposed to lethal levels of heat.(ABC News: Jack Fisher)

Fifteen years ago, scientists proposed an environmental threshold at which no person would be able to survive for six hours.

But these conditions have never been tested on humans.

Until now.

“This study is all about human survivability,” Dr Cheng says.

“So we are the first to actually put people in these environments to actually see, physiologically, what is happening to their core temperature or to their heart rate.

“What is happening to a real human when we put them in these environments?”

A sign on a door saying 'climate chamber' with a padlock. — Behind this door, Owen Dillon and a female test subject (who chose to stay anonymous) are being exposed to lethal heat.(ABC News: Kit Mochan)

A temperature monitor showing 53.5 degrees — On this day, the climate chamber is set to an air temperature of 54C with 26 per cent humidity.(ABC News: Jack Fisher)

A tight shot of a heat experiment document and pen. — A team of researchers is closely monitoring how the test subjects respond.(ABC News: Kit Mochan)

A whiteboard with the heat exposure protocol written on it in red and blue pen — But of course there is an extensive safety protocol.(ABC News: Kit Mochan)

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In a warming world, researchers say this question is more important than ever.

Rising CO2 emissions from fossil fuels are driving increases in deadly heat around the world. This summer alone, in the northern hemisphere, thousands have died during extreme heat events.

According to Ollie Jay, a professor of heat and health and the director of the university’s Heat and Health Research Centre, there’s mounting evidence to show the limit may be lower than first thought.

“We don’t want to be sleepwalking into a scenario where we think that these future conditions are going to be survivable when in fact they’re not going to be,” Professor Jay says.

Owen Dillon is one of the first participants to go through the experiment, having volunteered to be a part of it.

Wider portrait shot of test subject Owen Dillon, smiling — To advance science, Owen Dillon volunteered to be put into lethal heat environments.(ABC News: Jack Fisher)

“The simple fact is, more and more people are going to be facing, maybe not quite these conditions, but getting close,” he says.

“And it’s important that we understand what the limits are and what sort of conditions we should expect people to actually be able to work.”

As far as his ability to handle heat, researchers say the 31-year-old should be about as good as it gets.

He’s young, healthy and fit — currently running 100 kilometres a week as he trains for the Bondi to Manly ultramarathon.

He’s allowed to drink as much water as he likes throughout the experiment.

His body is also prepared to handle the heat, having been put through a week of acclimation sessions before the experiment.

“It’s essentially in a best-case scenario,” Dr Cheng says.

“When your body is fully acclimatised or acclimated to the environment, how do you perform?”

tight crop of the left half of a man's face, wearing glasses — Owen is a marathon runner.(ABC News: Jack Fisher)

Tight crop of the bare upper body of man looking down — In the weeks leading up to the experiment, he acclimatised to heat.(ABC News: Jack Fisher)

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Close-up of Owen's arm with a circle and cable — Researchers are closely monitoring his body’s responses.(ABC News: Jack Fisher)

The conditions Owen is being exposed to over the course of the study are varied.

Some — like today — are very hot and drier, while others have lower temperatures but much higher humidity.

But, except one, they’re all equivalent to a wet-bulb temperature of 35C — the critical threshold at which no human can survive for more than six hours, according to the original theory.

So, what is a wet-bulb temperature, and what does it have to do with how humans cope with heat?

It’s a measure that combines the two factors that, together, make heat dangerous to people.

Wet bulb temperature axis(ABC News: Alex Lim)

Temperature — how hot the air is — and humidity.

The name comes from the temperature a thermometer would read if its bulb was wrapped in a wet cloth — cooling the thermometer the same way sweat cools a person.

Explaining wet bulb temperature(ABC News: Alex Lim)

A wet-bulb temperature of 35C means the air temperature is 35C outside and the humidity is 100 per cent.

Explaining wet bulb temperature(ABC News: Alex Lim)

But a thermometer wrapped in a wet cloth will show 35C under many different combinations of temperature and humidity.

That is because lower humidity means more evaporation, bringing the thermometer temperature down.

That’s why on days where the air temperature is hotter than 35C outside, you still might be OK, provided the humidity is low enough.

This is what Owen is experiencing.

Back in the chair, Owen’s body is working overtime to cool down.

But the researchers monitoring his vitals can already see it’s not enough to stop his core temperature from rising.

Dr Cheng says there are two factors that can hinder the body’s ability to cool down.

Dr Jem Cheng looking worried at a screen — Dr Jem Cheng notices Owen’s core temperature is rising.(ABC News: Jack Fisher)

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Blue and red thermal image of the upper body of Owen Dillon with a hand holding a bulb instrument — Thermal image of Owen Dillon’s upper body during the heat experiment at the University of Sydney.(Supplied: University of Sydney)

A laboratory with researchers adjusting instruments and a woman sitting in a chair with her back to the viewer — Inside the climate chamber, his body’s responses are documented.(ABC News: Jack Fisher)

One is the environment.

On a very humid day, the air is so full of moisture that the sweat struggles to evaporate.

“You’re sweating as much as you can, but the sweat essentially just sits on your body, and that’s why you can’t cool down,” Dr Cheng says.

“That sweat actually needs to be able to evaporate from your body. It’s that evaporation that is actually what cools you down.”

The other is the limits of the human body itself.

On a very hot, relatively dry day — such as the conditions Owen is currently in — the problem is how much you can sweat in the first place.

“It’s sort of the opposite,” Dr Cheng says.

“You’re producing as much sweat as you can, it’s all evaporating, but for you to cool down to the degree that you need to, you need to produce sweat at a rate that is just not possible, even for a heat-acclimated person.

“You max out. Your body physiologically can’t produce enough sweat.”

Halfway into the three-hour experiment, Owen’s core temperature is starting to climb — currently at 38.4C, up from his starting temperature of 37.13C.

From a core temperature of 39C, mild heat exhaustion, such as headaches and faintness, can begin to occur.

At 40C the risk of severe heat exhaustion, including vomiting and disorientation, becomes increasingly likely.

At more than 40.5C, your risk of heat stroke escalates rapidly.

By the time someone’s core rises to 43C, a person is all but guaranteed to die.

Wet-bulb temperatures of 35C are rare, even for hot, humid climates, which tend to see higher wet-bulb temperatures.

A 2020 study, published in Science Advances, found there have been a handful of instances, all in the past decade, where places have briefly reached that threshold — in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

None have reached those thresholds for sustained periods of time, and climate scientists say it’s very unlikely they will during this century.

But history shows it doesn’t have to be that hot for deaths to occur.

In Australia, since 1900, extreme heat has caused more deaths than all other natural disasters combined.

An overhead shot of a large crowd of pilgrims wearing white. There is a mosque building to the left. — At least 13,000 people died at this year’s Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca due to extreme heat.(AP: Rafiq Maqbool)

A woman lies on a woven couch. — In May a severe heatwave impacted India, with temperatures close to 50C in Delhi.(Reuters: Anushree Fadnavis)

People stand outside Grecian ruins in full sunlight. — The Parthenon closed due to a heatwave hitting Athens, Greece, in June.(Reuters: Louiza Vradi)

Man rests with a bottle of water next to his cart. — A heatwave also scorched Bangladesh in April with temperatures soaring past 40C.(Reuters: Mohammad Ponir Hossain)

During 2023, the hottest year on record, more than 47,000 people in Europe are estimated to have died from heat, according to a study published in Nature.

These deaths occurred in conditions that were lower than the 35C wet-bulb threshold.

Professor Jay says that’s why it’s important to test the conditions on real people. Working with Arizona State University, his team modified the original model to factor in the way the human body works.

It found the thresholds for when heat turns deadly could be much lower in certain climates than first thought.

Let’s bring back that wet-bulb temperature limit. Remember, anything above 35C is not survivable, according to the original study.

The new study shows that for healthy, young people, it could be as low as 25.8C.

And for older people, it could be as low as 21.9C.

The chart highlights how humans struggle to survive at lower wet bulb temperatures when the air temperature is high. — Explaining wet bulb temperature(ABC News: Alex Lim)

The biggest difference is when the air temperature is extremely high and the humidity is low.

“The 35C wet-bulb temperature model is very compelling and in many cases, it’s accurate,” Professor Jay says.

“What this new model shows is, when you take into account the limitations of human physiology, these upper wet-bulb temperature limits look as though they are much lower under certain types of conditions.”

Those “more true” limits are far more likely to occur in a future climate, according to Australian National University professor of climate science Sarah Perkins Kirkpatrick.

Heatwave in Oklahoma, USA — A homeless man pours water over himself during an excessive heat warning in Oklahoma City in the US in June 2024.(REUTERS: Nick Oxford)

“I would certainly say by the end of the century, we’d be seeing these conditions somewhat regularly during summer seasons,” she says.

A man lies on his back, with no shirt on, on the road side during a heatwave in New York City in June — A man rests during a heatwave affecting the US in New York City in June 2024.(REUTERS: Jeenah Moon)

She says places at risk include cities like London, Beijing, Johannesburg, Los Angeles and New York, located in the mid-latitude belt, as well as Australia.

“So when we’re thinking about New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and especially those desert regions, those thresholds will ultimately be reached,” she says.

“But it’ll be the temperature and not the humidity that’s driving them.

“It ultimately depends by how much the globe warms. The more global warming we see, the higher likelihood of these deadly events occurring and sooner, as well.”

Owen reaches his limit

Owen is meant to stay in the chamber for three hours.

But two hours into the experiment, the researchers can see that won’t be the case.

His muscles are cramping. His breathing is laboured.

And his core temperature is nearing the experiment’s safety cut-off point of 39C.

At two and a half hours, he’s pulled out of the chamber.

It’s the first time he’s not been able to complete the experiment to the full three hours — providing valuable insight to the researchers.

His core temperature rose faster than during the high humidity sessions, despite the wet-bulb temperature being the same.

“Humid conditions have their own sort of more perceptual limitations, that difficulty breathing, because it feels so claustrophobic,” Dr Cheng says.

“But in the dry environment, so far, the rate at which [their core temperature] is rising can be one-and-a-half to two times what we’re seeing with the more humid conditions.”

Planning for a future climate

The researchers recognise there are limitations to their study. After all, the participants are sitting in one spot for several hours, far from the realities of everyday life.

Professor Jay says in some cases, real life could be easier, and in others, it could be harder.

Air conditioning, for instance, goes a big way to providing an escape from hot conditions when they occur.

But outside, in our cities, factors like physical activity, direct exposure to sun, or heavily built-up environments can all make it worse.

Dr Cheng says understanding these risks is particularly important for vulnerable populations in Australia and elsewhere around the world.

Man sprays water in his face during heatwave May 2023 India — Extreme heat will have the biggest impact on vulnerable populations.(Reuters: Amit Dave)

2024-05-22T040053Z_887808317_RC26V7AK9PN0_RTRMADP_3_MEXICO-WEATHER — Many places lack the resources or infrastructure to combat an increasingly warm climate.(Reuters: Yahir Ceballos)

“It’s really for a lot of those nations, that don’t have a choice but to actually live in these conditions 24/7 … or for people in circumstances where air conditioning is not an option, or areas of the world where manual labour in the field is just sort of their way of life,” Dr Cheng says.

“A lot of those parts of the world that are most affected by it, are also the ones that have the least resources, I think, to deal with it.”

Professor Jay says allowing temperatures to continue to rise will have global consequences.

“First of all, we might be purely dependent on infrastructure to keep us cool and safe, so we would need a lot of air conditioning,” he says.

“The only other way is that people are going to start moving, [either] within-country migration or even, in extreme cases, international migration.

“The downstream impacts of those types of consequences, of mass migration, on resources, employments, all these different types of considerations, could have real profound impacts and serve as a bit of a catalyst for future conflict as well.”

The researchers will keep testing the conditions on people until the end of the year.

But in the meantime, it’s given both the researchers, and Owen, an important glimpse into where the heat threshold of the human body lies.

“It’s harder than I thought it was going to be,” Owen says.

“I would say the first time running 80km felt pretty similar to doing 90 minutes in that hot room.

“It’s definitely made me a lot more aware of the balance between temperature and humidity, and also a lot more aware of how that’s going to impact your ability to perform.

“Now I can look at a weather forecast and say for sure that I will not go running that day.”

Credits

Reporter: Tyne Logan

Video/Photography: Kit Mochan, Jack Fisher, Adam Wyatt

Design: Alex Lim

Production: Fran Rimrod

Editor: Tim Leslie

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United Nations urges nations to adopt several proposals aimed at reducing heat deaths; asks to care for vulnerable people

Post By World Antonio Guterres, Climate change, hot weather, hottest days, hottest days of earth, UN, united nations, United Nations Secretary General

After three of Earth’s hottest days ever measured, the United Nations (UN) called for a flurry of efforts to try to reduce the human toll from soaring and searing temperatures, calling it “an extreme heat epidemic.”

“If there is one thing that unites our divided world, it’s that we’re all increasingly feeling the heat,” United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said on July 25 at a news conference where he highlighted that Monday (July 22) was the hottest day on record, surpassing the mark set just a day earlier.

“Earth is becoming hotter and more dangerous for everyone, everywhere.” Nearly half a million people a year die worldwide from heat related deaths, far more than other weather extremes such as hurricanes and this is likely an underestimate,” a new report by 10 U.N. agencies said.

“Billions of people are facing an extreme heat epidemic — wilting under increasingly deadly heat waves, with temperatures topping 50 degrees Celsius around the world,” Mr. Guterres said. “That’s 122 degrees Fahrenheit and halfway to boiling.” The dire warnings came after a barely noticeable respite in back-to-back record global heat.

The European climate service Copernicus calculated that Tuesday’s global average temperature was 0.01 Celsius (0.01 Fahrenheit) lower than Monday’s all-time high of 17.16 degrees Celsius (62.8 degrees Fahrenheit), which was .06 degrees Celsius hotter (0.1 degrees Fahrenheit) than on Sunday. All three days were hotter than Earth’s previous hottest day in 2023. “We are not prepared,” the U.N. report said.

Mr. Guterres urged countries of the world to adopt several proposals aimed at reducing heat deaths, starting with help to cool and care for the most vulnerable people — the poor, elderly, young and sick.

The UN also called for better heat wave warnings, expanding “passive cooling,” improved urban design, stronger protections for outside workers, as well as greater efforts to tackle human-caused climate change that’s worsening weather extremes.

But officials said most work will have to be done by countries, with the U.N. offering aid and coordination, especially when it comes to beefing up weather warning systems.

If countries adopt the United Nations heat-fighting recommendations, “these measures could protect 3.5 billion people by 2050, while slashing emissions and saving consumers $1 trillion a year,” Mr. Guterres said, citing a U.N. Environment Programme estimate.

“Better heat-health warning systems in 57 countries could save 98,314 lives per year,” the report said, based on World Health Organization and World Meteorological Organization estimates.

“Crippling heat is everywhere, but it doesn’t affect everyone equally,” Mr. Guterres said. “Extreme heat amplifies inequality, inflames food insecurity and pushes people further into poverty.” More than 1,300 people died during this year’s annual Haj pilgrimage after walking in scorching heat.

Earlier this year, India’s prolonged heatwaves resulted in the deaths of at least 100 people. However, health experts say heat deaths are likely undercounted in India and potentially other countries.

Last year, the United States had its most recorded heat deaths in more than 80 years, according to an Associated Press analysis of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. The death certificates of more than 2,300 people mentioned excessive heat, including 874 deaths in Arizona.

Deadly heat is not new, but scientists say it has been amplified in scale, frequency and duration with climate change.

Extreme heat, wildfires, floods, droughts and ever more fierce hurricanes are symptoms and “we need to fight the disease,” Mr. Guterres said. “The disease is the madness of incinerating our only home. The disease is the addiction to fossil fuels. The disease is climate inaction.” “Many things are being done, but too little, too late,” he said. “The problem is that climate change is running faster than all the measures that are now being put in place to fight it.” Before July 3, 2023, the hottest day measured by Copernicus was 16.8 degrees Celsius (62.2 degrees Fahrenheit) on August 13, 2016. In the last 13 months that mark has now been beaten 59 times, according to Copernicus.

Humanity is now “operating in a world that is already much warmer than it was before,” Copernicus Director Carlo Buontempo said.

“The steady drumbeat of hottest-day-ever records and near-records is concerning for three main reasons. The first is that heat is a killer. The second is that the health impacts of heat waves become much more serious when events persist. The third is that the hottest-day records this year are a surprise,” said Stanford University climate scientist Chris Field.

Field said high temperatures usually occur during El Nino years — a natural warming of the equatorial Pacific that changes weather worldwide — but the last El Nino ended in April.

Field said these high temperatures “underscores the seriousness of the climate crisis.” “Unfortunately people are going to die and those deaths are preventable,” said Kristie Ebi, a public health and climate professor at the University of Washington. “Heat is called the silent killer for a reason. People often don’t know they’re in trouble with heat until it’s too late.” “At some point, the accumulated heat internally becomes too much, then your cells and your organs start to warm up,” Ebi said.

“The “big driver” of the current heat is greenhouse gas emissions, from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas,” Mr. Buontempo said. “Those gases help trap heat, changing the energy balance between the heat coming in from the sun and that escaping Earth, meaning the planet retains more heat energy than before,” he said.

“Other factors include the warming of the Pacific by El Nino; the sun reaching its peak cycle of activity; an undersea volcano explosion; and air with fewer heat-reflecting particles because of marine fuel pollution regulations,” experts said.

Mr. The last 13 months have all set heat records. The world’s oceans broke heat records for 15 months in a row and that water heat, along with an unusually warm Antarctica, are helping push temperatures to record level,” Mr. Buontempo said.

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Climate change has made the Hajj pilgrimage more risky

Post By World Climate change, hajj pilgrimage, heatstrokes on Hajj pilgrimage, science news

Muslim pilgrims gather at the top of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual haj pilgrimage, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, June 15, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

Each year, millions of Muslims from across the world embark on the haj pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. The mass migration is unparalleled in scale, and pilgrims face numerous health hazards.

Mecca is considered the holiest city for Muslims. And haj is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, making it a mandatory religious duty for Muslims to perform at least once in their lifetime if they are physically and financially capable.

The 2024 haj pilgrimage has been overshadowed by disaster/tragedy, with the death of at least 900 pilgrims, mostly due to heat exhaustion and related complications.

This isn’t the first deadly disaster during haj

One of the most devastating incidents occurred in 2015 during the ritual of “Rami al-Jamarat” in Mina, near Mecca. This ritual involves pilgrims throwing stones at pillars symbolising the devil. On that day, overcrowding and the movement of large groups of pilgrims in opposite directions led to a deadly crowd crush. More than 2,400 pilgrims lost their lives, making it one of the deadliest disasters in the history of haj or any mass gathering.

Another mass casualty event occurred in 1990, in the Al-Ma’aisem pedestrian tunnel near Mecca, which led to the holy sites. A combination of ventilation failure and an enormous influx of pilgrims caused a suffocating crush inside the tunnel; 1,426 pilgrims died.

There have also been other incidents during the haj pilgrimage over the years. In 1994, a stampede near the Jamarat Bridge resulted in the deaths of around 270 pilgrims. The 1998 haj saw 118 pilgrims killed in another stampede.

Over the past half-century, more than 9,000 people have died in mass religious gatherings, with more than 5,000 of these occurring during the haj in Saudi Arabia. India follows with at least 2,200 deaths across nearly 40 tragic events. These two countries are hotspots for such tragedies.

Why is the haj pilgrimage so risky?

With millions of pilgrims converging in a confined area, the potential for overcrowding and crowd-crush accidents is high. This situation is worsened by the high emotion and passion associated with the pilgrimage. Pilgrims perform rituals with intense devotion and enthusiasm, which can sometimes lead to overexertion.

Another factor is the age of the pilgrims. Many are elderly, having saved for years to afford this spiritual journey. Their advanced age makes them particularly vulnerable to the harsh conditions and physical demands of the pilgrimage. The intense heat, prolonged periods of walking, and sheer physical strain of performing the rituals can exacerbate existing health issues and lead to new complications.

The extreme congestion of people also amplifies health risks, particularly from infectious diseases. Communicable diseases such as SARS, avian influenza and meningococcal disease have posed significant threats during haj in the past.

High temperatures make mass gatherings riskier

A study documenting deaths and injuries at mass gatherings up to 2019 shows that, while the 1980s saw most fatalities at sporting events, such events are now rare, while fatalities during religious pilgrimages, particularly in India and Saudi Arabia, are becoming more common.

While most haj fatalities have been due to crowd crushes and stampedes, a new threat has emerged: extreme climate. Saudi Arabia’s climate can be brutal. During this year’s pilgrimage, temperatures soared to 50°C.

Saudi Arabia is warming at a rate 50% higher than the rest of the Northern Hemisphere. The decade from 2010 to 2019 was the warmest on record, with more frequent and severe heatwaves. This rising temperature, combined with higher humidity, makes conditions increasingly unbearable without artificial cooling.

The timing of the haj pilgrimage, dictated by the lunar Islamic calendar, means it shifts approximately 10 to 11 days earlier each year in the Gregorian calendar. This means haj can occur in different seasons over a 33-year cycle. Currently, haj is being held during the summer months, leading to extreme heat risks.

Saudi Arabia has also experienced an increase in extreme rainfall events in recent years, particularly towards the end of summer and into the fall. These torrential downpours and thunderstorms have caused significant flooding in regions such as Mecca and Jeddah.

As climate patterns continue to evolve, the occurrence of such rainfall could align with the haj season, creating additional hazards for pilgrims.

What can be done to mitigate the risks?

Unlike concerts or sporting events, the haj pilgrimage cannot be rescheduled or relocated. Being outdoors is an integral part of haj.

It’s crucial for pilgrims to perform the haj rituals correctly for their pilgrimage to be accepted. According to Islamic teachings, the haj must be conducted with precise adherence to its rituals and timings. Any deviation or omission can render the pilgrimage invalid.

The Saudi Ministry of Health has implemented various measures, including encouraging vaccinations, health checks and educational campaigns urging pilgrims to stay hydrated, use umbrellas and avoid prolonged sun exposure.

The ministry deployed thousands of paramedics and set up field hospitals to manage the crisis. Cooling measures such as misting systems and portable water stations were used.

Yet the extreme heat proved overwhelming, indicating more needs to be done. Educational campaigns can do more to raise awareness among (especially non-local) pilgrims and health-care workers about heat risks and preventive measures.

The introduction of new technologies such as smart bracelets for monitoring pilgrims’ health could further enhance medical responses.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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UK election: How can the next government get climate goals on track?

Post By Science And Technology Climate change, politics

Climate activists protest outside the Houses of Parliament in London in March

Andrea Domeniconi/Alamy

This week, more than 400 climate scientists from UK institutions published an open letter, pleading with the UK’s political parties to pledge stronger climate action over the next parliament, ahead of the 4 July general election.

Their demands included a “credible” carbon-cutting strategy for the country, amid an election campaign that has seen little in-depth discussion of the UK’s net-zero transition.

Why are the scientists worried? After all, the UK has one of the most ambitious climate targets in the world – a legally binding goal to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 – and has halved its greenhouse gas emissions since 1990.

But the truth is that the UK’s race to net zero has slowed to a crawl in recent years, with annual emissions falling at half the rate required to meet interim targets.

Although huge progress has been made in decarbonising the electricity supply, with zero-carbon sources now generating about half of all power, other sectors are lagging. Outside the electricity sector, the rate of emissions cuts must quadruple over the next seven years if the UK is to meet its promise to reduce emissions by 68 per cent by 2030, the UK government’s climate advisers, the Climate Change Committee, said in October. It warned that the UK is “unlikely” to get there under current plans.

“There’s just a really strong sense of frustration in the climate science community,” says Emily Shuckburgh at the University of Cambridge, who jointly organised the scientists’ letter. “We just simply haven’t seen the level of response required.”

Slow progress means problems have mounted, waiting in the wings for the next government to tackle.

Transport and buildings

By the end of the decade, emissions from surface transport – that is road, rail and ships – need to fall by almost 4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent, quadruple the rate of the previous decade. Electric car sales may be growing strongly, but sales of electric vans and trucks are lagging and the number of public charge points isn’t growing quickly enough to keep pace with the volume of electric vehicles hitting the roads. Meanwhile, the use of public transport fell sharply during the covid-19 pandemic and hasn’t returned to its previous levels.

Getting the transport sector to net zero will require more than just convincing everyone to buy an electric car, says Michael Pollitt at the University of Cambridge. Fewer cars, and smaller ones, are a crucial part of the puzzle. “One would like to see more radical thinking on inter-urban transport, such as prioritisation of lanes for smaller vehicles, and thinking of radically reducing vehicle sizes and vehicle weights,” he says. “If we can get people moving in radically smaller vehicles or in mass transit, that is the way that we are going to get to net zero in transport.”

When it comes to buildings, home heating is the major headache. About 23 million homes in the UK are heated by gas boilers. All these homes need to be warmed by zero-carbon energy sources by mid-century, with most expected to switch to heat pumps.

But the transition is going far too slowly. In 2022, just 69,000 heat pumps were installed in UK homes, far short of the 600,000 installations per year targeted by 2028. Part of the problem is financial: heat pumps cost far more to install than a gas boiler and often cost more to run due to extra levies on the cost of grid power. “We absolutely must get the price of heat pumps down,” says Pollitt. “Unless the price of heat pumps comes down substantially, that is a major roadblock to decarbonising heating.”

There’s an urgency to solving these problems, says Nick Eyre at the University of Oxford, who signed the open letter. Gas boilers installed in 2035 will still be heating homes in 2050. “Heat pumps and vehicles, we will need to have pretty much cracked by the early 2040s. That means being very serious about it in the 2030s,” he says.

That is why inaction during this decade, when the UK government should be focusing on getting industries ready for mass deployment, is so worrying. “We know what to do,” says Eyre. “But the last couple of years, in particular, have been a period where there’s not really been any action at all.”

Farming and aviation

Beyond heat, power and transport, even tougher choices lie ahead. Emissions from agriculture and land use, for example, have barely changed in a decade, but need to fall 29 per cent by 2035. Delivering these cuts is likely to involve action to change people’s diets. Likewise, cutting aviation emissions will require action to control demand, such as a tax on frequent fliers.

“The biggest challenge will be starting to impose policies and regulations which affect people’s day-to-day lives,” says Leo Mercer at the London School of Economics. “If policies aren’t communicated well, people push back pretty strongly.”

Alongside domestic challenges, the UK needs to regain its reputation on the international stage. Under former prime minister Boris Johnson, the UK hosted the COP26 climate summit and led international coalitions on deforestation, methane and electric vehicles.

But the UK’s slowing progress on its domestic climate agenda, alongside cuts to international aid and climate diplomacy, has weakened its international reputation. UK government decisions to approve new domestic fossil fuel projects, while urging low-income countries to “transition away” from fossil fuels, has also rankled.

Without countries like the UK demonstrating that net zero is achievable – and desirable – as a national strategy, convincing low-income countries to cut emissions is an uphill battle. It is therefore crucial for the UK to re-establish its reputation as a climate leader in the next parliament, says Caterina Brandmayr at Imperial College London.

Next year, countries are due to submit new commitments to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 under the Paris Agreement. “This, therefore, is a pivotal moment for the global community,” she says. “This parliament will be crucial not only to ensure delivery in the UK, but also to raise ambition globally.”

What the parties are offering

So, will any party deliver the scale of action needed to put the UK back on track? All the major parties agree on the need to reach net zero by mid-century. And there is striking agreement between Labour and the Conservatives on the need for more renewable power, particularly offshore wind.

Labour, however, has the eye-catching promise to deliver a fully decarbonised grid by 2030. Adam Bell at UK consultancy Stonehaven, and a former senior energy official in the UK government, says this goal is “very, very ambitious”, and will push the civil service to the limits of what it can deliver. “On power, it’s difficult to find a way in which [Labour] could possibly be more ambitious.”

But for Eyre, a manifesto that is credible on climate should also have ambitious aims in areas where the UK is seriously off track – on home energy efficiency, heat pump deployment, industrial emissions, land use, solar power and electric vans. “It is not a question of doing one or two of those,” he says. “We need to do all of them.”

Privately, many experts doubt that any of the major parties have a policy programme with the pace and scale needed to deliver net zero by 2050. In its absence, looking for enthusiasm for the challenge ahead might be the next best sign of a party’s credibility. In Eyre’s eyes, the next UK government is embarking on a “decadal process of the same sort of scale as the introduction of steam engines”. “If you don’t have a positive vision yourself,” he says, “you can’t sell that to the rest of the population.”

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Chile wildfires: Conspiracy theorists claim blue paint can save homes

Post By World Americas, Chile, Climate change, Fire

As wildfires ravaged central Chile, a number of posts have been circulating online claiming that buildings or objects painted blue are immune to the fires. Why? Well, these accounts claim the fires were actually set by powerful lasers that don’t work on anything colored blue. These claims are baseless.

If you only have a minute…

A series of wildfires have been devastating the region of Valparaiso, Chile throughout February 2024. A number of posts have been circulating online claiming that buildings and objects painted blue have miraculously resisted the flames. Some of these posts claim that Chileans are starting to paint their homes and roofs blue to protect them.
These claims are based on a well-worn conspiracy theory that wildfires are actually caused by “directed energy weapons”, essentially focused energy or lasers that cause damage. According to these conspiracy theories, the lasers leave blue objects intact.
However, these images don’t prove anything. While they do show several blue structures intact, there are also buildings of other colours that are intact, too. The video showing a man painting his roof blue shows someone who already believes the theory.
A number of experts have said that both a heat wave and drought played a role in the spate of wildfires in Chile. However, investigations into potential arson are also underway.

The fact check, in detail

A number of social media accounts have been tracking any time that the colour blue appears in footage and photos of the devastation caused by wildfires in Valparaiso, Chile. Why? These people believe that the wildfires, which have resulted in mass damages and the deaths of at least 130 people, spared objects painted this colour. Why again? Because they believe that these fires were set by targeted lasers called directed energy weapons, which apparently don’t work on anything coloured blue.

An English-speaking TikTok user made this claim in a video published on February 9. Pointing out a small blue home in the midst of charred ruins, he says: “The house was barely touched. Everything around it: demolished, burned to ashes.”

“But somehow it managed to stand still”, he continues, before showing a video where you see a laser burning different fabric but sparing one coloured blue.

This user has actually picked up footage from a Spanish-language TikTok account, published two days earlier. The footage was geolocated in Vina del Mar, an area that was indeed affected by the fires.

“Is the blue house theory true?” this user asks.

This theory is mentioned in other posts, as well – like this video posted on X (formerly Twitter) by another English-speaking account. It shows another building, also painted blue, that was spared by the flames, in the midst of other charred structures. The caption reads “Chile. Blue colour again. #DEW #DirectEnergyWeapon.”

This English-speaking Twitter user, who posted his tweet on February 8, believes that the fact that certain buildings painted blue survived the wildfires is proof that “direct energy weapons” were involved. © X (formerly Twitter)

The acronym “DEW” appears in a French tweet that copies a tweet in English that has garnered more than 11 million views. Both tweets include a video of a man painting his home bright blue.

“People in Chile are now reportedly painting their houses & roofs in particular the colour blue in order to protect themselves from DEWs,” the post in French says. The sentence in the English-language post is the same, except for its reference to DEWs.

The French tweet also includes the video showing a laser burning through several fabrics – except the one in blue.

This post from February 12 explains why people have honed in on the blue objects and buildings spared from the wildfire’s wrath. This colour apparently protects from “directed energy weapons”, which they believe are responsible for the fires. They claim that Chileans are starting to paint their homes this colour. © X (formerly Twitter)

There has long been a conspiracy theory that governments or other influential bodies are responsible for starting wildfires using these “directed energy weapons”.

These weapons are real – they use highly focused energy including lasers, microwaves, particle beams and sound beams to damage their target or destroy electronic systems. But there is no proof that directed energy weapons were ever used against civilian populations or to ignite wildfires.

‘These aren’t anomalies, it just depends how the fire progresses’

While the theory put forward by these posts seems unfounded, then what could be the reason that these blue buildings and objects have mysteriously been spared by fire? Adherents of this conspiracy theory refer to these objects as “blue anomalies”.

This X account (formerly Twitter) points to an object that seems to be made out of blue plastic, which remains intact right next to a charred car. They say this is an example of a “blue anomaly”. © X (formely Twitter)

Éric Brocardi, the spokesperson for the National Federation of Firefighters in France, there is nothing surprising about these images.

“These aren’t anomalies, it just depends how the fire progresses,” he said after studying the images.

“The main explanations are the way the fire has spread and the direction that the wind is blowing, which can end up sheltering certain objects. In the French region of Gironde, for example, there was a fire around Arcachon Bay in July 2022. We had what is called a crown fire: in certain places, the crowns of the trees burned, but not the branches below.”

Firefighters believe that the presence of violent winds during the fires contributed to their spread.

Paul Sirvatka is a professor of meteorology at the College of Dupage, an American institute of higher education. He also says there is nothing unusual about this type of phenomena.

“Because of the mechanisms of propagation, primarily embers and wind, the patterns formed by fire as it spreads can be intricate and complex,” he said. “We call this a mosaic pattern.”

On this image, taken from a training exercise in meteorology on the specialised site MetEd, we can see a fire that completely burned certain zones of the forest and spared others. Sometimes the fire left narrow areas unscathed because of a change in wind direction and the way that embers spread © MetEd/Brent Wachter

In the images shared by accounts focused on the preservation of blue objects, we can quickly see that objects of different colours have also been spared. For example, the vegetation near the blue structures is also intact, which makes it seem more likely that the entire zone escaped the flames – perhaps because of the intervention of the fire department.

This video shared on TikTok shows a blue house intact in the midst of the ruins. However, you can see that the concrete wall and fence near the blue house also don’t have any fire damage. You can also see that the wooden telephone poles are intact, as is vegetation near the house. © Observers

In this video, shared on Twitter, you can see that it is not just the blue object that was spared by the fire, even though that’s what viewers focused on. For example, a truck, a wooden door and some kind of structure made out of concrete and painted yellow were also spared. © Observers

Video shared by someone who has already fallen for this theory

How about the video where you can see a man painting his roof blue? Does it show locals suddenly painting their roofs blue in order to escape the ravages of the fire, as some of these accounts have claimed?

For this Twitter user, who often shares misinformation, this video posted on February 12 shows that people living in areas affected by the fire are suddenly painting the roofs of their houses blue. © X (formely Twitter)

In reality, that’s not really what the video shows. The video was first posted on February 9 by the TikTok account @eduarjoselugo. The man who posted this footage remains vague about why he is repainting his roof in the post itself.

“Here, we are painting the roof of my house blue, blue like the sky… […] Bad things don’t touch things that are blue, because blue is connected to God,” he says.

However, by looking at other posts on the same account, we quickly realise that this man believes the conspiracy theory that directed energy weapons are behind the fires in Chile.

In another video, he shares an audio excerpt that links the preservation of blue-coloured objects during the fires to the “first phase of project Blue Beam”. Apparently, this led to “worrying rumours about alleged laser attacks”.

Project Blue Beam is another conspiracy theory about governments using lasers and holograms. We’ve written about this theory before in a previous article (in French).

This video doesn’t actually prove that many Chileans believe that directed energy weapons are responsible for the fires and are trying to save their homes by painting them blue. In actuality, this video shows one man who already believes the theory.

One thing to note: there is a link between belief in the use of directed energy weapons and climate change denial.

Conspiracy theories that have blamed directed energy weapons for various disasters are not new. Many believe they began in the wake of the attacks on September 11, 2001.

These theories have popped up again recently each time there is a particularly destructive forest fire. Various accounts started spreading these rumours during fires that swept Canada in June 2023 or the terrible fires in Hawaii in August of the same year.

In these two cases, believers in the theory about directed energy weapons used this to deny any link between the fires and climate breakdown, even though this link is well-established by the scientific community.

In the case of the fires in Chile, believers in the directed energy weapons theory also deny the role of climate breakdown. In response to a video showing devastation in Chile that highlights the importance of fighting against climate breakdown, a believer drew a link with the Hawaii fires and said that “DEWs” were responsible for both.

“And once again, the globalist monsters behind the deliberate and entirely man-made attack on humanity and planet, claim ‘climate change,’” this user wrote.

“And once again, the globalist monsters behind the deliberate and entirely man made attack on humanity and planet, claim ‘climate change’ and ‘global warming’ to further their BS ‘sustainable living’, ‘zero carbon emissions’ and of course their ever ravenous, land grabbing agendas,” this user wrote on Facebook on February 11 in response to a video that highlighted the link between the fires in Chile and global warming. © Facebook

However, there is evidence for the role of climate change in these fires. Scientists have indicated that a serious heatwave in Chile, a long drought and the El Nino phenomenon all played a role. There are, however, investigations underway to determine if some fires were set with criminal intent – there are apparently some indications that flammable products were used in certain locations.

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We can tackle climate change, jobs, growth and global trade. Here’s what’s stopping us

Post By Stock analyst comment, Analyst Comment/Recommendation, article_opinion, C&E Exclusion Filter, C&E Executive News Filter, C&E Industry News Filter, China, Climate, Climate change, climatechange, commentary, Commentary/Opinion, community, Content Types, contentpartner, corporate, Corporate/Industrial News, Economic News, economist, Economy, Environment, Equality, Europe, europeanunion, Factiva Filters, Financial Services, general news, global, Global/World Issues, globalization, government, government policy, Growth, income, industrial news, inequality, international relations, investing, Investing/Securities, Investment, Jobs, labor, Labor/Personnel Issues, military, Natural Environment, opinion, partnercontent, personnel issues, political, Political/General News, politics, Politics/International Relations, recommendation, regulation, Regulation/Government Policy, securities, society, Society/Community, trade, US, workers, world issues, zerosum

“We must leave behind established modes of thinking and seek creative workable solutions.”

Another tumultuous year has confirmed that the global economy is at a turning point. We face four big challenges: the climate transition; the good-jobs problem; an economic-development crisis, and the search for a newer, healthier form of globalization.

To address each, we must leave behind established modes of thinking and seek creative workable solutions, while recognizing that these efforts will be necessarily uncoordinated and experimental.

Climate change is the most daunting challenge, and the one that has been overlooked the longest — at great cost. If we are to avoid condemning humanity to a dystopian future, we must act fast to decarbonize the global economy. We have long known that we must wean ourselves from fossil fuels, develop green alternatives and shore up our defenses against the lasting environmental damage that past inaction has already caused. However, it has become clear that little of this is likely to be achieved through global cooperation or economists’ favored policies.

Instead, individual countries will forge ahead with their own green agendas, implementing policies that best account for their specific political constraints, as the United States, China and the European Union have been doing. The result will be a hodge-podge of emission caps, tax incentives, research and development support, and green industrial policies with little global coherence and occasional costs for other countries. Messy though it may be, an uncoordinated push for climate action may be the best we can realistically hope for.

“Inequality, the erosion of the middle class, and labor-market polarization have caused significant damage to our social environment. ”

But our physical environment is not the only threat we face. Inequality, the erosion of the middle class, and labor-market polarization have caused equally significant damage to our social environment. The consequences are now widely evident. Economic, regional, and cultural gaps within countries are widening, and liberal democracy (and the values that support it) appears to be in decline, reflecting rising support for xenophobic, authoritarian populists and the growing backlash against scientific and technical expertise.

Social transfers and the welfare state can help, but what is most needed is an increase in the supply of good jobs for the less-educated workers who have lost access to them. We need more productive, well-remunerated employment opportunities that can provide dignity and social recognition for those without a college degree. Expanding the supply of such jobs will require not only more investment in education and more robust defense of workers’ rights, but also a new brand of industrial policies for services, where the bulk of future employment will be created.

The disappearance of manufacturing jobs over time reflects both greater automation and stronger global competition. Developing countries have not been immune to either factor. Many have experienced “premature de-industrialization”: their absorption of workers into formal, productive manufacturing firms is now very limited, which means they are precluded from pursuing the kind of export-oriented development strategy that has been so effective in East Asia and a few other countries. Together with the climate challenge, this crisis of growth strategies in low-income countries calls for an entirely new development model.

“Governments will have to experiment, combining investment in the green transition with productivity enhancements in labor-absorbing services.”

As in the advanced economies, services will be low- and middle-income countries’ main source of employment creation. But most services in these economies are dominated by very small, informal enterprises — often sole proprietorships — and there are essentially no ready-made models of service-led development to emulate. Governments will have to experiment, combining investment in the green transition with productivity enhancements in labor-absorbing services.

Finally, globalization itself must be reinvented. The post-1990 hyper-globalization model has been overtaken by the rise of U.S.-China geopolitical competition, and by the higher priority placed on domestic social, economic, public-health, and environmental concerns. No longer fit for purpose, globalization as we know it will have to be replaced by a new understanding that rebalances national needs and the requirements of a healthy global economy that facilitates international trade and long-term foreign investment.

Most likely, the new globalization model will be less intrusive, acknowledging the needs of all countries (not just major powers) that want greater policy flexibility to address domestic challenges and national-security imperatives. One possibility is that the U.S. or China will take an overly expansive view of its security needs, seeking global primacy (in the U.S. case) or regional domination (China). The result would be a “weaponization” of economic interdependence and significant economic decoupling, with trade and investment treated as a zero-sum game.

“The biggest gift major powers can give to the world economy is to manage their own domestic economies well.”

But there could also be a more favorable scenario in which both powers keep their geopolitical ambitions in check, recognizing that their competing economic goals are better served through accommodation and cooperation. This scenario might serve the global economy well, even if — or perhaps because — it falls short of hyper-globalization. As the Bretton Woods era showed, a significant expansion of global trade and investment is compatible with a thin model of globalization, wherein countries retain considerable policy autonomy with which to foster social cohesion and economic growth at home. The biggest gift major powers can give to the world economy is to manage their own domestic economies well.

All these challenges call for new ideas and frameworks. We do not need to throw conventional economics out the window. But to remain relevant, economists must learn to apply the tools of their trade to the objectives and constraints of the day. They will have to be open to experimentation, and sympathetic if governments engage in actions that do not conform to the playbooks of the past.

Dani Rodrik, professor of international political economy at Harvard Kennedy School, is president of the International Economic Association and the author of Straight Talk on Trade: Ideas for a Sane World Economy (Princeton University Press, 2017).

This commentary was published with the permission of Project Syndicate — Confronting Our Four Biggest Economic Challenges

More: Biden administration’s antitrust victories are much-needed wins for consumers

Also read: ‘Dr. Doom’ Nouriel Roubini: ‘Worst-case scenarios appear to be the least likely.’ For now.

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Heat records and climate accords: How did the environment fare in 2023?

Post By World agriculture, arctic, China, Climate, Climate change, cop28, Environment, European Union, Features, France, Horn of Africa, oceans, records, Retrospective 2023, Wildfires

From drought in Spain to floods in the Horn of Africa and wildfires in Canada, 2023 was marked by some alarming environmental disasters. However, it wasn’t all bad news – the past few months have seen some significant advances in the fight against climate change.

The hottest year in history

It was hot this year, sometimes very hot – temperatures reached 53°C in Death Valley in the United States, 55°C in Tunisia, and 52°C in China.

Even after summer, the mercury did not drop to regular levels with September, October and November all experiencing unusually warm temperatures. The news everyone anticipated finally came in early December: 2023 was the hottest year in recorded history.

For the period from January to November, the average global surface temperature was 1.46°C above the pre-industrial era. It was also 0.13°C above the average of the previous hottest year, 2016. The combined effects of the El Nino climate phenomenon in the Pacific and climate change are to blame.

Oceans suffered from extreme heat

The heat was not confined to land; the planet’s oceans also experienced frighteningly high temperatures. March, April, May, June, July, August, September and October all recorded their hottest maritime temperatures ever.

On July 30, the average global ocean surface temperature reached an unprecedented 20.96°C, according to the European climate monitoring service, the Copernicus Institute. Just a month later, the Mediterranean Sea set its daily heat record, with a median temperature of 28.71°C, according to the main Spanish maritime research centre.

These repeated new records indicate an increasing frequency of marine heatwaves, something that could have dramatic impacts on biodiversity.

Both poles melting at rapid rates

In February, towards the end of the summer in the southern hemisphere, the Antarctic ice sheet reached an alarmingly low level before growing back at an unusually slow pace over the winter.

The ice sheet’s surface in September was 16.96 million km2, the lowest sea ice maximum since measurements began by a wide margin, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC).

At the other end of the globe, the Arctic experienced its warmest summer on record, with an average temperature of 6.4°C. Both regions are affected by the “polar amplification” phenomenon which mean they warm faster than lower latitudes, partly due to the melting of the ice sheet and ocean warming.

Long periods of drought

The year was also marked by a series of severe droughts. France, for instance, recorded no significant rainfall for the 32 consecutive days between January 21 and February 21 – “the longest period since records began in 1959”, according to the Copernicus Institute.

In Spain, parts of the population had to deal with a lack of rain for more than 100 days, sparking frustration and raising tensions with neighbouring Portugal over water use.

The European Union was far from the only affected territory. In early June, Iran warned that 97% of the country lacked water due to a lack of rain. A historic drought that has had serious consequences for agriculture since 2020 continued in the Horn of Africa.

Unprecedented wildfires

With drought comes fire. Some 6,400 fires burned 18.5 million hectares of Canada’s famous forests – more than twice the previous record of 7.6 million hectares set in 1989 – giving the country its worst fire season ever recorded.

Images of an orange and apocalyptic New York skyline went viral after smoke from the Canadian wildfires made its way south, polluting air and disrupting traffic.

The Statue of Liberty is covered in haze and smoke caused by wildfires in Canada, in New York on June 6, 2023. © Amr Alfiky, Reuters

Across the Atlantic, thousands of tourists had to be evacuated from the Greek island of Rhodes due to forest fires in what was the European country’s largest evacuation operation ever.

Rains intensify

Episodes of drought were followed by intense rains, often causing floods. In early August, a month’s worth of rain fell in less than 24 hours in Slovenia, killing three people and causing an estimated €500 million of damage.

In the Horn of Africa too, drought gave way to torrential rains, killing more than 300 and displacing two million people, according to the UN.

In Libya, several thousand people died, and tens of thousands were displaced due to floods in the eastern part of the country.

Serious flooding also occurred in the United States, Japan, Nepal, China, and even France, which experienced historic autumn rainfall in the Pas-de-Calais region.

Fossil fuels mentioned in a COP final text

For the first time, a United Nations Climate Conference (COP) – held in early December in Dubai – concluded with a text calling for a “transition away” from the primary driver of climate change, fossil fuels.

However, the text has been criticised for its many shortcomings by environmental NGOs and activists, notably for favouring carbon capture technologies and presenting gas as a “transitional energy”.

Renewable energies made headway

Renewable energies advanced at full speed in 2023. Mainly driven by solar and new photovoltaic capacities, renewable energies are expected to produce 4,500 GW of power in 2024, equivalent to the combined electrical production of the United States and China, according to a report by the International Energy Agency.

In the EU, this momentum is expected to be boosted by a new “Renewable Energy Directive” which set a binding target of achieving 42.5% renewable energy by 2030, compared to the current 22%. Following COP28, EU member states also committed to tripling the production of renewable energy.

An EU law on nature restoration and biodiversity

There was also good news for forests, meadows, lakes, rivers, and corals. After months of tension and hours of negotiations, the European Parliament and EU states reached an agreement in November on a nature restoration bill. The stated goal is to restore 20% of the EU’s land and seas by 2030, and all degraded ecosystems by 2050 – representing 80% of total natural habitats.

Watch moreMeeting Dr Jane Goodall: A global champion for the environment

While the text is less ambitious than it was originally supposed to be, especially regarding restoration obligations for agricultural land, it raised hopes at a time of grave biodiversity loss.

The first treaty on the protection of international waters

After 15 years of discussions, in June, the UN officially adopted the High Seas Treaty, a first of its kind aimed at protecting international waters and preserving marine life.

International waters begin where the exclusive economic zones (EEZ) of states end – up to a maximum of 200 nautical miles (370 km) from the coasts – and are therefore not under the jurisdiction of any state. Although they constitute nearly half of the planet and more than 60% of the oceans, international waters have long been ignored in environmental efforts. Today, only about 1% are subject to conservation measures.

The new treaty will facilitate the creation of marine protected areas. The text is expected to come into effect in 2025, at the next UN Ocean Conference in France.

Is a treaty against plastic pollution in the works?

The good news may not end with 2023. Representatives from 175 countries have been developing a legally binding agreement on plastic pollution. This is a significant challenge as plastic, derived from petrochemicals, can be found everywhere – from the depths of the oceans to the tops of our planet’s highest mountains.

However, there is a divergence of views on plastic pollution. Some are calling for a binding treaty aimed at “restricting and reducing the consumption and production” of plastic, while others argue for a focus on better waste management.

This article was translated from the original in French.

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Riots, protests and climate uprisings: 2023 was a tumultuous year in France

Post By World 2024 Olympics, Climate change, Death of Nahel, Emmanuel Macron, Features, France, Gérald Darmanin, Immigration, Israel Hamas war, pension reform, Retrospective 2023

France encountered severe turbulence over the past 12 months, roiled by a long and bitter battle over pension reform as well as crippling droughts, sizzling heatwaves and nationwide rioting. FRANCE 24 takes a look at some of the top stories from a year of turmoil.

Even by French standards, 2023 was a year of exceptional social unrest, marked by France’s largest protest movement this century and the worst bout of rioting in almost two decades. From start to end, President Emmanuel Macron’s minority government struggled to pass legislation in a fractious and bitterly divided parliament, often opting to bypass it altogether. Severe droughts and unseasonal heatwaves pushed the life-threatening challenges of climate change to the fore, while a nationwide bedbug frenzy brought unwanted attention from abroad as the country hosted the Rugby World Cup and raced to prepare for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Pension battle ends in Pyrrhic win for Macron

A montage of President Emmanuel Macron as the “Sun King” Louis XIV at a protest against pension reform in Paris on March 23, 2023. © Benjamin Dodman, FRANCE 24

Macron kicked off the year with a push to overhaul France’s pension system, setting the stage for a showdown with a united front of unions. The French president staked his reformist credentials on passage of the flagship reform, which raised the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64 – a step his government said was necessary to balance the books amid shifting demographics. Unions countered that the reform would disproportionately affect low-skilled workers and women, successfully framing the pension debate as part of a wider fight for social justice.

The months-long tussle saw opponents of the reform stage multiple rounds of strikes and protests, drawing huge crowds in cities, towns and even villages across France. Refinery shutdowns and transport strikes caused travel chaos while a walkout by rubbish collectors kicked up a “great stink” in the streets of Paris – though unions ultimately failed in their bid to “paralyse” the country. Throughout the standoff, polls consistently showed that a large majority of the French opposed the reform, piling the pressure on a government already outnumbered in parliament.

Violence flared in late March when Macron ordered his government to ram the reform through parliament without a vote, using special executive powers. The move sparked several nights of unrest and turned the festering social dispute into a crisis of French democracy. Police crackdowns and controversial rulings by France’s constitutional court helped snuff out the movement, handing Macron a pyrrhic victory – though in the weeks that followed he could scarcely take a step outside the Élysée Palace without being greeted by protesters banging pots and pans.

Teen’s death sets off nationwide riots

Fireworks target French riot police during protests in Nanterre, west of Paris, on June 28, 2023. © Zakaria Abdelkafiz, AFP

Running battles between riot police and pension protesters revived a long-standing debate on police brutality in France – with human rights monitors both at home and abroad raising the alarm over officers’ “excessive use of force”. The scrutiny only increased in late June when towns and cities across the country erupted in rage at the killing of Nahel M., a 17-year-old of North African origin who was shot dead by police during a routine traffic stop in the Paris suburb of Nanterre.

Social media footage of the incident, which contradicted police claims that Nahel had posed a threat to officers, kicked off several nights of rioting in France’s deprived and ethnically diverse suburbs, known as banlieues, where non-white youths have long complained of being singled out by police. Rioters focused their attacks on symbols of the state, including police stations, schools and town halls. The Interior Ministry said that more than 1,000 buildings and 5,000 vehicles were torched.

In a rare criticism of the police, Macron described the fatal shooting as “inexplicable” and “unforgivable”, while the UN’s human rights office urged France to “seriously address the deep issues of racism and discrimination in law enforcement”. However, the initial expressions of outrage soon gave way to hardline law-and-order rhetoric amid consecutive nights of rioting. And as police unions openly spoke of battling “vermin” and “savage hordes”, analysts feared the real lessons of Nahel’s killing – like other past tragedies – would not be learned.

A protester holds up a Palestinian flag at an unauthorised rally in solidarity with Gaza held in central Paris on October 12, 2023. © AFP

When the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas launched a murderous attack on southern Israel on October 7, triggering a ferocious and devastating Israeli response, French authorities openly voiced concern that the conflict might stoke further unrest in France, home to Europe’s largest Jewish and Muslim populations.

A spike in anti-Semitic acts sowed anguish among French Jews and politicians of all stripes took part in a Paris march to denounce anti-Semitism, though the presence of Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally led some opponents to shun the rally. Meanwhile, rights groups voiced dismay as the government banned pro-Palestinian protests on the grounds that they might “disturb public order”, until judges ruled that a blanket ban was unlawful. The war also sparked a rare dispute at an annual march against gender-based violence in Paris, signaling tensions between French feminists over their response to sexual crimes attributed to Hamas.

Fears that the plight of Gaza would inspire Islamist militants to carry out attacks on French soil appeared to materialise on October 13 when a high-school teacher in northern Arras was stabbed to death by a radicalised former pupil who originated from Russia’s Ingushetia – reigniting the trauma of Samuel Paty’s beheading in 2020. In the days following the Arras stabbing, government ministers suggested the war in Gaza may have “precipitated” events, though investigators were yet to establish a formal link with the assailant, who had declared allegiance to the Islamic State group prior to the attack.

Far right hails hardline immigration law

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin spent much of the year trying to build support in parliament for a tough new immigration law. — French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin attends a session of questions to the government at The National Assembly in Paris on December 12, 2023. © Bertrand Guay, AFP

For Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, the Arras knife attack proved the need for new legislation making it easier to expel foreign nationals suspected of radicalisation. The hawkish minister had spent much of the year trying to build parliamentary support for a tough new “immigration law”, which rights groups condemned as repressive. His efforts appeared to have collapsed when opposition lawmakers banded together to shoot down the bill before it was even debated in the National Assembly.

In response, the government submitted an even tougher law to win over right-wing lawmakers, introducing measures that discriminate between citizens and immigrants in terms of eligibility to benefits. The law was harsh enough for Le Pen to claim it as an “ideological victory” for her National Rally and its passage with support from the far right sparked a crisis within Macron’s ruling party, leading his health minister to resign in protest. In a rare move, a third of French regions vowed not to comply with some of its toughest measures.

Droughts, heatwaves and climate uprisings

Burnt sunflowers pictured in a field near the village of Puy Saint Martin, in southeastern France, on August 22, 2023. © Jeff Pachoud, AFP

The ubiquitous Darmanin made headlines throughout the year as he ordered the disbanding of a range of groups he deemed extremist. They included the climate movement Les Soulèvements de la Terre (“Earth’s uprisings”), whose attempt to prevent the construction of controversial water reservoirs resulted in a pitched battle with police that left hundreds injured and two people in a coma. The interior minister accused the group of inciting “ecoterrorism”, but his attempt to ban it was quashed by France’s top administrative court.

The clashes at Sainte-Soline were indicative of mounting tensions between corporate farming and environmental activists as the country grappled with recurrent and increasingly unseasonal heatwaves, which put further stress on fragile ecosystems already weakened by crippling droughts. The climate emergency cast a spotlight on livestock farming and eating habits, with meat consumption the biggest contributor to food-related greenhouse gas emissions.

Adapting the way farmers use water resources was one of 50 measures included in a water-saving plan unveiled in March, following an exceptionally dry winter. Extraordinary measures were required to help the Indian ocean island of Mayotte, where the worst drought in decades forced the government to send a military cargo ship stacked with drinking water. And in Paris, where scientists warned that temperatures could reach 50C by 2050, volunteers used a pioneering tree-planting method to create pocket forests offering shelter from the heat.

Paris Olympics feel the heat

An illustration showing the concept for the Paris Olympics opening ceremony, to be staged on the River Seine. © Florian Hulleu, AFP

As the French capital grappled with the challenges of climate change, organisers of next year’s Summer Olympics struggled to back up their pledge to make the Paris 2024 Games the “greenest” yet. In May, they backtracked on a promise to eliminate more greenhouse gas emissions than those generated by the event, while insisting Paris 2024 would still halve the carbon footprint of previous games. But delays to transport upgrades threatened to jeopardise emissions targets, while climate activists described carbon-offsetting plans as little more than “greenwashing”.

Ambitious plans to host the opening ceremony along the River Seine – rather than inside a stadium – also came under scrutiny as officials released an 11-page security protocol aimed at shielding the event from the threats of terrorism, drone attacks and other risks. The protocol triggered a rare protest by the French capital’s famed bouquinistes, whose iconic riverside book kiosks will be dismantled for the occasion. The Seine churned up more headaches for organisers when pollution levels repeatedly forced the cancellation of trials for swimming events set to be held in the river.

Hosts fall short at Rugby World Cup

France's captain Antoine Dupont (left) and lock Cameron Woki react after the hosts' quarter-final defeat at the Rugby World Cup. — France’s captain Antoine Dupont (left) and lock Cameron Woki react after the hosts’ quarter-final defeat at the Rugby World Cup. © Franck Fife, AFP

Doubts about France’s ability to host large sporting events had simmered since the Champions League final hosted at the Stade de France in May 2022, when French police notoriously doused Liverpool fans with tear gas and pepper spray amid a chaotic build-up marred by train strikes and issues of fake ticketing. This year’s Rugby World Cup, hosted at the same venue and in eight other French cities, was a chance for France to make amends and prove its readiness – a challenge organisers largely pulled off.

The seven-week rugby extravaganza kicked off with a memorable French win over old rivals New Zealand, which bolstered the home nation’s hopes of winning a maiden World Cup title. Those hopes took a blow when a fractured cheekbone stripped the hosts of their talismanic skipper Antoine Dupond. The fly-half returned with a face mask for the crunch quarter-final against title holders South Africa but could not prevent an agonising one-point defeat for Les Bleus. After edging England by the same margin in the semis, the Springboks went on to grab the narrowest of wins over the All Blacks in the final, clinching a record fourth World Cup title.

Bedbugs, tiger mosquitoes and trotinettes

Self-service e-scooters were banished from the streets of Paris after a public consultation marked by record-low turnout. © Thomas Coex, AFP

Midway through the tournament, concern over an increase in the number of bedbugs rapidly spiralled into national hysteria, with the bloodsucking pests making headlines both in France and abroad. Cinemas, trains and Paris metros were said to be crawling with the tiny insects and one lawmaker brandished a vial of bugs in the National Assembly, urging the government to address the “explosive situation”. But officials insisted there was no scientific evidence to suggest any explosion in bedbugs, and that images posted on social media did not necessarily mean growing numbers.

Health authorities appeared more concerned about the spread of the Asian tiger mosquito as evidence emerged that the black-and-white striped insect had settled in 71 of the country’s 96 mainland départements (administrative units). With climate change creating perfect conditions for its proliferation, experts warned that the invasive species threatened to spread diseases like zika, dengue and chikungunya.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo tackled a very different type of nuisance when she called a referendum on banning self-service e-scooters, citing irresponsible use and a rising accident toll. The April vote was billed as a showdown between trottinettes-hating boomers and Gen Z, the service’s main users. But only the former showed up for the low-turnout ballot, and the e-scooters were duly banished from the streets of Paris.

Ukrainian art, Gainsbourg and a fiery Palme d’Or

This Byzantine icon of Saints Sergius and Bacchus, dating from 6th-7th centuries, went on show at the Louvre after it was evacuated from Ukraine. © Khanenko Museum

As always, the French capital’s museums and galleries served up an abundance of art shows, dedicated to the likes of Vincent van Gogh, Marc Chagall and Berthe Morisot. Paris exhibits showcased Ukrainian art work evacuated following Russia’s invasion last year, taking the fight for the country’s heritage to the world-famous Louvre. Photographer Robert Doisneau’s little-known work forging documents during the Nazi occupation was the subject of a groundbreaking show near Paris, and the iconic Left Bank home of singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg finally opened to the public – its ashtrays still brimming with Gitanes cigarette butts.

Down on the Riviera, French director Justine Triet won the Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or for her thrilling courtroom drama “Anatomy of a Fall” – becoming only the third female director to win cinema’s most prestigious award. But it was a bittersweet success for Macron and his ministers, whose cultural policies and conduct during France’s pension battle she proceeded to rubbish in a fiery acceptance speech broadcast live on national television.

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Of love letters and distant galaxies: Uplifting stories from 2023

Post By World Climate change, cop28, Europe, history, LGBT rights, Nature, research, science, Space

It was a turbulent year from start to end, but 2023 was not just about devastating wars, natural disasters and the cost-of-living crisis. The past 12 months also saw the approval of a revolutionary new malaria vaccine, a sharp drop in the deforestation of the Amazon, and an historic victory for the LGBTQ+ community in Nepal. FRANCE 24 lists the top good news stories of the year.

Euclid telescope sheds light on distant galaxies

The Euclid blasted off into space in July on the world’s first ever mission to investigate dark matter and dark energy. Four months later, the European Space Agency released the first five images captured by the telescope – and they were as stunning as they were enlightening.

One of the telescope’s observations, for example, depicted the Perseus Cluster, a massive and distant collection of more than a thousand galaxies. In the background, more than 100,000 additional galaxies were visible. Some of them are estimated to be some 10 billion light years away and had never before been seen before. The images also included a nebula resembling a horse’s head, part of the Orion constellation.

ESA chief Josef Aschbacher described the pictures as “awe-inspiring” and a reminder of why it is so important for humans to explore space.

This undated handout obtained on November 2, 2023 from the European Space Agency shows an astronomical image of a Horsehead Nebula taken during ESA’s Euclid space mission. © ESA via AFP

Breakthroughs in treatment of Parkinson’s disease

The year was also marked by several breakthroughs in the detection and treatment of Parkinson’s disease. In April, a team of researchers presented a new technique they said could identify the build-up of abnormal proteins associated with Parkinson’s. This build-up is the pathological hallmark of the illness, and its detection could help diagnose the condition long before symptoms appear. Up until now, there have been no specific tests to diagnose Parkinson’s.

“Identifying an effective biomarker for Parkinson’s disease pathology could have profound implications for the way we treat the condition, potentially making it possible to diagnose people earlier, identify the best treatments for different subsets of patients and speed up clinical trials,” said Pennsylvania University’s Andrew Siderowf, who co-authored the study.

There was more good news in November, when a long-term Parkinson’s disease patient who had long been confined to his home was given a neuroprosthetic and regained his full ability to walk. The implant comprises an electrode field placed against the spinal cord as well as an electrical impulse generator under the skin of the abdomen, which stimulates the spinal cord to activate the leg muscles.

Marc Gauthier, a 61-year-old Parkinson's patient, walks again thanks to a neuroprosthesis. — Marc Gauthier, a 61-year-old Parkinson’s patient, walks again thanks to a neuroprosthesis. © Gabriel Monnet, AFP

WHO-backed vaccine raises hopes of ‘malaria-free future’

In October, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced it had approved the R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine –the second malaria vaccine to be cleared by the global health body and the first to meet its goal of a 75 percent efficacy.

“As a malaria researcher, I used to dream of the day we would have a safe and effective vaccine against malaria,” said Doctor Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO’s director general, for whom the vaccine will help “protect more children faster, and bring us closer to our vision of a malaria-free future”.

Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease that claims around half a million lives around the world every year, mainly in Africa. The disease mostly affects children under the age of five, and pregnant women.

The Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer by doses, is already lined up to make more than 100 million doses a year and plans to scale up to 200 million a year. Available supplies of the other WHO-approved vaccine, RTS,S, are limited and more expensive.

A health worker vaccinates a child against malaria in Ndhiwa, Homabay County, in western Kenya. © Brian Ongoro, AFP

Endangered antelopes, seals and squirrels fare better

When the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) issued its annual Red List of threatened species in mid-December, the typically alarming report also featured some surprisingly good news.

Prospects for the scimitar-horned oryx, for instance, improved over the year thanks to a reintroduction programme in Chad, and the antelope’s status was moved from “extinct in the wild” to “endangered”. Meanwhile, the previously “critically endangered” saiga antelope, found mainly in Kazakhstan, was reclassified as “near threatened” thanks to local anti-poaching measures.

Things also improved for the monk seal and the red-bellied squirrel, while the African rhinoceros population grew 5 percent to more than 23,000.

Une jeune antilope Saïga dans la steppe à la frontière des régions d'Akmola et de Kostanay au Kazakhstan, le 8 mai 2022. — A newborn Saiga calf lies in the steppe on the border of Akmola and Kostanay regions of Kazakhstan on May 8, 2022. © Abduaziz Madyarov, AFP

Dinosaur fossil rewrites bird evolution theory

A tiny half-bird, half-dinosaur fossil found in the Fujian province in southeast China was presented to the public in September in what scientists described as a small revolution for bird evolution theory.

The creature, named Fujianvenator Prodigiosus, is believed to have lived during the Late Jurassic Period, 148 million to 150 million years ago. Its discovery bridges a gap in fossil records pertaining to the origin of birds, which diverged from two-legged therapod dinosaurs during the Jurassic Period.

Bird evolution theories had previously been based largely on the “oldest known” bird, the larger Archaeopteryx, that was discovered in 1860. Discovery of the Fujianvenator Prodigiosus, which dates from the same period as the Archaeopteryx but has very different features, implies that there may have been not just one, but a variety of different dino-birds around the world at the same time.

Birds survived the asteroid strike that doomed the non-avian dinosaurs 66 million years ago.

Un fossile d'Archaeopteryx, considéré comme — A 150-million-year-old fossil of an Archaeopteryx, considered the world’s oldest bird, pictured in 2010. © AFP

A much-needed respite for the Amazon

When Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva succeeded Jair Bolsonaro as the country’s president in January, he pledged to end the catastrophic deforestation of the Amazon – once known as “the world’s lungs” – by 2030. While that goal is still far off, the incoming government’s efforts have already started to pay off.

In July, the national space agency INPE’s annual deforestation tracking programme reported that deforestation of the Amazon in Brazil had dropped by as much as 22.3 percent year-on-year, reaching a five-year low.

According to the Brazilian government, the deforestation decrease prevented the emission of some 133 million tons of CO2, which accounts for around 7.5 percent of the country’s total emissions.

La déforestation de l'Amazonie a diminué de 22,3 % en un an en 2023 pour atteindre son niveau le plus bas depuis cinq ans. — Deforestation in the Amazon fell by 22.3% year-on-year in 2023 to its lowest level in five years. © Michael Dantas, AFP

COP28 launches ‘historic’ loss and damage fund

The COP28, hosted by the United Arab Emirates this year, started out with a historic announcement: the establishment of a loss and damage fund that will compensate vulnerable nations for disaster damage or irreversible losses linked to climate change.

The West and the United Arab Emirates immediately pledged money for the fund, racking up a total of $655 million. Although it is far from enough, it can at least be perceived as a good start.

“The launch will finally help populations affected by the worst impacts of climate change,” said Fanny Petitbon, spokeswoman for the environmental advocacy group Care France.

Le président de la COP28, Sultan al-Jaber annonce le vote de l'accord final mentionnant les énergies fossiles, le 13 décembre 2023, à Dubaï. — COP28 president Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber applauds as delegates reach an agreement at the climate summit in Dubai on December 13, 2023. © Giuseppe Cacace, AFP

LGBT+ rights progress in Japan and Nepal

LGBT+ rights progressed in at least some parts of the world this year.

Japan’s supreme court issued a historic ruling in July condemning restrictions imposed by the finance ministry on a transgender female employee as to which toilet she could use. The ruling came on the heels of landmark legislation to promote understanding of LGBT+ minorities and protect them from discrimination.

In Nepal, the authorities recognised the country’s first ever same-sex marriage, uniting a transgender woman who is legally recognised as male and a cisgender man. The couple, who had married in 2017, were helped by a supreme court decision in June that allowed same-sex couples to register their marriages.

“The fight for rights is not easy. We have done it. And it will be easier for future generations,” said one of the grooms, Ram Bahadur Gurung. “The registration has opened doors to a lot of things for us.”

Ram Bahadur Gurung, femme transgenre et Surendra Pandey, lors d'une conférence de presse après avoir officialisé leur mariage, le 1er décembre 2023, à Kathmandou, au Népal. — Transgender woman Ram Bahadur Gurung and her partner Surendra Pandey hug each other after their wedding in Kathmandu, Nepal, on December 1, 2023. © Navesh Chitrakar, Reuters

Love letters to French sailors finally opened, 250 years on

“I could spend the night writing to you … I am your forever faithful wife.” These lines were written by Marie Dubosc to her husband Louis Chamberlain, the first lieutenant of the French warship the Galatee, in 1758. But Chamberlain never received them.

Dubosc’s letter, along with dozens of others, was confiscated when the British Royal Navy captured the ship and its crew en route from Bordeaux to Quebec during the Seven Years’ War between Britain and France. It remained unopened in British archives until history professor Renaud Morieux of the University of Cambridge finally unsealed the missives.

The historian said the letters provided a rare insight into the lives of sailors and their families in the 1700s.

Une lettre d'Anne Le Cerf à son mari, rédigée au 18e siècle, a finalement été ouverte et lue plus de 250 ans plus tard, en 2023. — A letter from Anne Le Cerf to her husband, written in the 18th century, was finally opened and read more than 250 years later, in 2023. © The National Archives via AFP

Ancient Egyptian mummies are exhumed

Two golden-laced mummies were found several metres underground in the ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis, south of Cairo, at the start of the year.

The mummies, estimated to have been buried some 4,300 years ago, are among the oldest in the world and were discovered approximately one month apart in the Saqqara necropolis.

Saqqara was used as a burial site for more than 3,000 years and is considered one of Egypt’s most important historical sites, serving as the burial grounds for Egyptian royalty. The vast burial site stretches over more than 20 kilometres and contains several hundred tombs. The latest finds underscored the many ancient Egyptian treasures that are yet to be discovered.

Deux momies ont été découvertes à un mois d'intervalle, plusieurs mètres sous terre, dans la nécropole de Saqqarah, dans la région de Memphis, en Égypte. — Two mummies were discovered a month apart, several metres underground, in the Saqqarah necropolis in the Memphis region of Egypt. © Khaled Desouki, AFP

This article was adapted from the original in French.

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COP28 nations adopt first-ever climate deal to ‘transition away’ from fossil fuels

Post By World Climate, Climate change, cop28, dubai, Environment, Fossil fuels, UN

The COP28 climate summit on Wednesday approved a deal that would, for the first time, push nations to “transition” from fossil fuels to avert the worst effects of climate change.

Biden hails COP28 climate deal as ‘historic milestone’

US President Joe Biden hailed a deal secured on Wednesday at UN climate talks in Dubai as a “historic milestone” in transitioning away from fossil fuels but said there was still work to do.

“Today, at COP28, world leaders reached another historic milestone – committing, for the first time, to transition away from the fossil fuels that jeopardize our planet and our people,” Biden said in a statement.

“While there is still substantial work ahead of us to keep the 1.5°C goal within reach, today’s outcome puts us one significant step closer.”

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The deal asks for greater action this decade and recommits to no net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 in hopes of meeting the increasingly elusive goal of checking warming at 1.5°C (2.7°F) above pre-industrial levels.

The United States is the world’s second biggest greenhouse gas emitter after China.

Biden skipped the Dubai summit and sent Vice President Kamala Harris to attend the start instead.

Russia warns against ‘chaotic’ fossil fuels exit

Russia on Wednesday warned against a “chaotic” exit from fossil fuels, while welcoming the “compromise” deal reached at the COP28 summit in Dubai on transitioning away from them.

“We have at every opportunity stressed the consequences of a chaotic exit without the backing of science,” Ruslan Edelgeriyev, Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s special envoy for climate issues, was quoted by TASS news agency as saying.

“We cannot ignore the diverse needs of people around the world, including the need for affordable and reliable energy,” he said.

“The final deal will probably not satisfy everyone but that only shows it is a compromise.”

Russia is one of the main gas, oil and coal producers in the world.

According to many experts, Siberia and the Russian Arctic are some of the regions in the world most affected by climate change.

OPEC secretary-general says oil sector in jeopardy without adequate investment

OPEC+‘s Secretary-General Haitham Al Ghais said in a statement on Wednesday that the oil industry is in jeopardy without adequate levels of investment.

He also congratulated the UAE for the positive outcome of COP28.

US climate envoy John Kerry addresses COP28 after deal on fossil fuels

US climate envoy John Kerry said that no side can ever achieve everything in negotiations and praised the deal as a sign a war-torn world can come together for the common good.

“I think everyone has to agree this is much stronger and clearer as a call on 1.5(°C) than we have ever heard before, and it clearly reflects what the science says,” Kerry said. “We will continue to press for a more rapid transition.”

“The Paris agreement and the global stock take both stress the importance of developing and updating long-term strategies in order to reduce emissions and enhance resilience,” he added.

US climate envoy John Kerry at COP28. © FRANCE 24

Seeking to avoid the geopolitical tensions that have strained cooperation on other issues, Kerry met ahead of COP28 with his counterpart from China, leading to a joint call by the world’s two largest emitters to step up renewable energy.

Almost 200 countries adopt first-ever climate deal on fossil fuels

Nations adopted on Wednesday the first ever UN climate deal that calls for the world to transition away from fossil fuels.

“Together we have set the world in the right direction,” COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber said at the UN climate summit in Dubai, prompting delegates to rise and applaud.

Al-Jaber hailed a the deal approved by almost 200 countries as an “historic package” of measures which offered a “robust plan” to keep the target of 1.5°C within reach.

“We have delivered a paradigm shift that has the potential to redefine our economies,” he said during the closing session of the COP28 summit, shortly after the deal was approved.

He added a note of caution for nations: “An agreement is only as good as its implementation. We are what we do, not what we say.”

UN climate chief Simon Stiell urged countries to turn pledges into action after the agreement was passed.

“Now, all governments and businesses need to turn these pledges into real-economy outcomes without delay,” Stiell told delegates in Dubai.

New UN climate draft calls for ‘transitioning away’ from fossil fuels

A draft agreement unveiled early Wednesday in talks in Dubai toughens language by calling for “transitioning away” from fossil fuels, although it does not use the term “phase out”.

The text, released for consideration after another full night of haggling, would also call for “accelerating action” during “this critical decade” – providing more urgency than an earlier proposal widely dismissed by green-minded countries.

The previous draft also drew fire for offering a list of options that “could” be taken to combat the dangerous warming of the planet.

The new draft explicitly “calls on” all nations to contribute through a series of actions.

The actions include “transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner, accelerating action in this critical decade, so as to achieve net zero by 2050 in keeping with the science”, the new draft says.

It calls for phase-downs of “unabated coal power” – meaning that coal with carbon capture technology to reduce emissions, panned by many environmentalists as unrealistic, could continue.

It also calls for “phasing out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies that do not address energy poverty or just transitions, as soon as possible”.

But it does not call for a “phase out” of fossil fuels.

Discussions during the 14 days of talks in Dubai, a metropolis built on oil wealth, had revolved around how far to go and whether to make a historic call to wind down oil, gas and coal, the main culprits in the planet’s rapid warming.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP & Reuters)

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Cart

Owen reaches his limit

Planning for a future climate

Credits

This isn’t the first deadly disaster during haj

Why is the haj pilgrimage so risky?

High temperatures make mass gatherings riskier

What can be done to mitigate the risks?

Transport and buildings

Farming and aviation

What the parties are offering

The hottest year in history

Oceans suffered from extreme heat

Both poles melting at rapid rates

Long periods of drought

Unprecedented wildfires

Rains intensify

Fossil fuels mentioned in a COP final text

Renewable energies made headway

An EU law on nature restoration and biodiversity

The first treaty on the protection of international waters

Is a treaty against plastic pollution in the works?

Pension battle ends in Pyrrhic win for Macron

Teen’s death sets off nationwide riots

Far right hails hardline immigration law

Droughts, heatwaves and climate uprisings

Paris Olympics feel the heat

Hosts fall short at Rugby World Cup

Bedbugs, tiger mosquitoes and trotinettes

Ukrainian art, Gainsbourg and a fiery Palme d’Or

Euclid telescope sheds light on distant galaxies

Breakthroughs in treatment of Parkinson’s disease

WHO-backed vaccine raises hopes of ‘malaria-free future’

Endangered antelopes, seals and squirrels fare better

Dinosaur fossil rewrites bird evolution theory

A much-needed respite for the Amazon

COP28 launches ‘historic’ loss and damage fund

LGBT+ rights progress in Japan and Nepal

Love letters to French sailors finally opened, 250 years on

Ancient Egyptian mummies are exhumed

Biden hails COP28 climate deal as ‘historic milestone’

Russia warns against ‘chaotic’ fossil fuels exit

OPEC secretary-general says oil sector in jeopardy without adequate investment

US climate envoy John Kerry addresses COP28 after deal on fossil fuels

Almost 200 countries adopt first-ever climate deal on fossil fuels

New UN climate draft calls for ‘transitioning away’ from fossil fuels